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March Challenge
Read a Book by a South Asian Author
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FCPL is challenging you to read great books about new people, cool places and different experiences.
Read Your World is all about reading diverse books that encourage elementary and teen readers to explore and learn about the world around them. Complete any 5 out of the 6 challenges (or earn 50 points) to earn a prize! The books on this list are suggestions. Feel free to read a book that is not on this list. If you need help picking a title, ask a librarian to recommend a book for you. |
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Bilal Cooks Daal
by
Aisha Saeed
Bilal and his father invite his friends to help make his favorite dish, daal, then all must wait patiently for it to be done.
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Amal Unbound
by
Aisha Saeed
In Pakistan, Amal holds onto her dream of being a teacher even after becoming an indentured servant to pay off her family's debt to the wealthy and corrupt Khan family.
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Diana and the Island of No Return
by
Aisha Saeed
Twelve-year-old Diana's much-anticipated visit with her best friend, Princess Sakina, turns into an adventure as they face a booby-trapped island, a forbidden visitor, and a demon.
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Once Upon an Eid : stories of hope and joy by 15 Muslim voices
by
Aisha Saeed
This collection of short stories showcases the most brilliant Muslim voices writing today, all about the most joyful holiday of the year: Eid! Eid: The short, single-syllable word conjures up a variety of feelings and memories for Muslims. Maybe it's waking up to the sound of frying samosas and simmering pistachio kheer, maybe it's the pleasure of putting on a new outfit for Eid prayers, or maybe it's the gift giving and holiday parties to come that day. Whatever it may be, for those who cherish this day of celebration, the emotional responses may be summed up in another short and sweet word: joy.
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Far From Agrabah
by
Aisha Saeed
When Aladdin, posing as Prince Ali of the kingdom of "Ababwa," offers to take Princess Jasmine on a magic carpet ride, she asks him to take her to his homeland, leading the two to an adventure in a fantastical kingdom.
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Written in the Stars
by
Aisha Saeed
Naila's vacation to visit relatives in Pakistan turns into a nightmare when she discovers her parents want to force her to marry a man she's never met.
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Yes No Maybe So
by
Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
Jamie Goldberg, who chokes when speaking to strangers, and Maya Rehrman, who is having the worst Ramadan ever, are paired to knock on doors and ask for votes for the local state senate candidate.
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Big Red Lollipop
by
Rukhsana Khan
Forced to bring her little sister along to a birthday party, Rubina is mortified when her younger sibling demands to win every game and steals Rubina's red lollipop party favor.
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Chachaji's Cup
by
Uma Krishnaswami
A boy learns about his family history and the Partition of India from his great uncle, through stories told over a beloved old teacup.
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Home is in Between
by
Mitali Perkins
Immigrating to America, a young girl navigates between her family's Bengali traditions and her new country's culture.
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Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji
by
F. Zia
Aneel and his grandfather, Dada-ji, tell stories, use their imaginations, and make delicious roti, a traditional Indian flatbread.
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Lali's Feather
by
F. Zia
A celebration of the power of focusing and thinking imaginatively follows the experiences of a little girl who seeks to identify which bird dropped a beautiful little feather before other birds that reject the feather start to recognize its value after the little girl decides to keep it.
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The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh
by
Supriya Kelkar
"Harpreet Singh has a different color for every occasion, from pink for dancing to bhangra beats to red for courage. He especially takes care with his patkas, his turbans, smoothing each one out gently before putting it on. But when Harpreet's mom finds a new job in a snowy town and the family has to move, he finds himself choosing white over and over--all he wants is to be invisible. Will he ever feel a happy sunny yellow again?"
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Meet Yasmin!
by
Saadia Faruqi
In this compilation of four separately published books, Pakistani American second grader Yasmin learns to cope with the small problems of school and home, while gaining confidence in her own skills and creative abilities.
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My Dadima Wears a Sari
by
Kashmira Sheth
Two young sisters raised in America learn about the beauty and art of wearing a sari from their wise Indian grandmother, in a multicultural story that offers young children a glimpse into the distinctive culture and customs of India.
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Tiger in my Soup
by
Kashmira Sheth
When a boy is left in the care of his older sister, he begs her to read him his favorite book, but she is too absorbed in her own reading to pay him any attention. She won't be distracted, even when the boy finds a ravenous tiger hiding in his soup! His sister misses all the action; only after the steamy beast is slain does she return to the table with her brother and finally agree to read to him. But is the tiger really gone?
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American as Paneer Pie
by
Supriya Kelkar
Feeling like she lives two lives as the only Indian American girl in her school, Lekha Divekar is excited to meet a Desi newcomer only to discover that her proud new friend has just relocated to America and is not content to be quiet about bullying.
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The Bridge Home
by
Padma Venkatraman
Facing daunting prospects on the streets of Chennai, two runaway sisters finds shelter and friendship on an abandoned bridge with two homeless boys before an illness forces them to choose between survival and freedom.
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Karma Khullar's Mustache
by
Kristi Wientge
Struggling with her dadima's death, her parents' reversed roles and her best friend's unexpected preference for new friend, Karma Khullar prepares for middle school and is horrified to discover that she has grown faint hairs on her upper lip.
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The Night Diary
by
Veera Hiranandani
Shy twelve-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her by writing to her deceased Muslim mother in the pages of her diary.
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Power Forward
by
Hena Khan
Fourth-grader Zayd yearns to play basketball on the Gold Team, but when he skips orchestra rehearsal to practice, his parents forbid anything basketball-related, and tryouts are coming soon.
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Seaglass Summer
by
Anjali Banerjee
While spending a month on an island off the coast of Washington helping in her Uncle Sanjay's veterinary clinic, eleven-year-old Poppy Ray soon questions her decision to follow in her uncle's footsteps.
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The Serpent's Secret
by
Sayantani DasGupta
When a rakkhosh demon attacks her family on the morning of her 12th birthday, Kiranmala discovers that her parents' fantastical stories about their ties to royalty are true and is whisked away by two crush-worthy princes to a parallel dimension filled with magic, winged horses, moving maps and talking birds. A perfect read-alike for the Aru Shah series!
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The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel
by
Sheela Chari
A high-tech adventure based on the award-winning podcast finds the intrepid Mars Patel and his outcast friends investigating the disappearances of kids from their school before stumbling across an enigmatic billionaire’s dark conspiracy. By the Edgar Award-winning author of Vanished. Simultaneous eBook.
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Amina's Voice
by
Hena Khan
Amina, a Pakistani-American Muslim girl, struggles to stay true to her family's culture while dealing with the vandalism of the local Islamic Center and mosque and her best friend Soojin's new friendship with their former nemesis.
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Finding Mighty
by
Sheela Chari
Neighbors Myla and Peter join forces to find Peter's runaway brother, Randall, and stumble onto the path of a gang with a history of theft and kidnapping, and with ties to the boys' grandmother, who died under suspicious circumstances.
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The Henna Wars
by
Adiba Jaigirdar
When Nishat, an Irish girl of Bengali heritage, sees her old friend Flávia again, she feels attracted to her, but when they both enter a school contest as henna artists, their feelings for each other become more complicated.
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More Than Just a Pretty Face
by Syed M. Masood
Enduring family disapproval and the possible cancellation of his arranged marriage because of his ambition to become a chef, Danyal Jilani competes in a school-wide academic championship, where his efforts to prove his intelligence are complicated by his crush on a teammate who loves his cooking.
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Pashmina
by
Nidhi Chanani
When Priyanka finds a mysterious pashmina in her house, she is transported to an India which may or may not be real, and goes in search of the reason why her mother left her homeland and the father she has never met.
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A Place at the Table
by
Saadia Faruqi
A Pakistani-American student attending a new school and the daughter of a British mother struggling through depression forge an unexpected friendship while taking a South Asian cooking class.
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Saints and Misfits
by
S. K. Ali
Struggling to secure her identity as an Arab Indian-American hijabi teen who loves pop culture and aspires to a career in photography, Janna Yusuf falls for a boy she cannot date and considers exposing a person with a monstrous nature who is pretending to be a saint in their tightknit Muslim community.
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The Tiger at Midnight
by
Swati Teerdhala
Esha, a legendary rebel who has been given the mission to assassinate the ruthless General Hotha, crosses paths with the general's freedom-seeking nephew, Kunal, initiating an impossible chain of events.
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When Dimple Met Rishi
by
Sandhya Menon
When Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel meet at a Stanford University summer program, Dimple is avoiding her parents' obsession with "marriage prospects" but Rishi hopes to woo her into accepting arranged marriage with him.
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You Bring the Distant Near
by
Mitali Perkins
Told in alternating teen voices across three generations, an exploration of sisterhood, first loves, friendship and the inheritance of culture traces a family that is shaped by Indian-American identity, a forbidden biracial love affair and social activism.
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Get Reading Recommendations Forsyth County Public Library | #WeKnowBooks
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